Mississippi State's Darius Slay speaks during a news conference after being selected 36th overall by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the NFL football draft, Friday, April 26, 2013, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

ALLEN PARK (AP) — The Detroit Lions have made some head-scratching picks in previous years, drafting who they thought was the best-player available even if he didn’t address an apparent need.

This year, through three rounds, the Lions have selected a trio of prospects with the potential to fill voids and start as rookies.

Detroit drafted Mississippi State cornerback Darius Slay in the second round and Kentucky guard Larry Warford in the third Friday night, one day after taking BYU defensive end Ziggy Ansah fifth overall.

“We’ve found matches for the things we were looking for,” Lions coach Jim Schwartz said.

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The Lions took Slay 36th overall, seven spots ahead of teammate Johnthan Banks, who won the Thorpe Award that honors college football’s best defensive back.

“It didn’t matter who went first,” Slay insisted.

The native of Brunswick, Ga., said he probably would’ve been drafted even sooner but an MRI revealed he had a torn meniscus in one of his knees — he wouldn’t say which one on a conference call with Detroit-area reporters — when NFL teams were evaluating him.

“I was told I don’t have to have surgery,” Slay said. “I feel like I’m real good right now.”

The Lions do, too.

Detroit general manager Martin Mayhew said the team got a look at Slay within the last couple of weeks.

“We are aware that there is a physical issue with his knee,” Mayhew said. “We’re aware of that and we’re comfortable with that.”

Mayhew refused to speculate about how much, if any, time Slay would have to miss during offseason workouts. Schwartz, though, made it clear he doesn’t think Slay has a health issue that will linger.

“This isn’t a long-term injury from the information that we have,” Schwartz said.

The Lions have a spot for the 6-foot, 192-pound Slay to start opposite veteran cornerback Chris Houston. Slay, the son of two former track athletes, ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at the NFL combine to provide the Lions with another reason to want him on their team.

“They know my size and the speed that I have, being one of the fastest guys at the combine,” he said. “They just said they can do a lot of stuff with my talent.”

Slay had five interceptions, returning one for a touchdown last season, in his second year of playing in the Southeastern Conference after attending junior college.

“He’s played very well in the SEC and been very productive,” Mayhew said. “We’ve been trying to find that big corner. We’ve talked about that and everybody’s looking for that guy. He’s really good in press coverage, he’s physical against the run, so we like this player. He’s going to help us a lot.”

“He’s very sticky in coverage,” Mayhew said.

The Lions decided to stick with their early pick in the second round after Mayhew said they got “a lot of calls,” from teams wanting to acquire the slot.

“We had several teams that wanted to move up and we were weighing moving back and trying to still get Darius, or should we take him,” he said. “We decided to just go ahead and take him.”

Detroit might be able to plug the 6-3, 330-pound Warford into the guard spot opposite Rob Sims and next to center Dominic Raiola on a line that will have a pair of first-year starters unless a veteran free agent is signed.

Schwartz joked that Warford’s physique wouldn’t make him a candidate to be a calendar model for the team, but his beefy build is perfect for his position.

“He’s made to play guard in the NFL,” Schwartz said.

Warford, who was born in San Diego, said he attended 13 schools growing up as the son because his father was in the Navy and his parents divorced. He went on to start in 37 games at Kentucky, earning a spot on one of the all-SEC teams in each of his four seasons.

“I’m pretty aggressive,” said Warford, who was drafted 65th overall. “But more than that, I feel like my knowledge of my position and what I’m supposed to do is most important.”

The Lions are scheduled to make one pick in the fourth round — 132nd overall — fifth and six rounds along with two selections in the seventh and final round Saturday. They might look to add a receiver because two targets, Nate Burleson and Ryan Broyles, are coming off season-ending injuries and troubled Titus Young was released soon after the team flopped to a 4-12 finish last year.